Bulletin – Sunday, June 11, 2023 – Second Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday, June 11, 2023
Second Sunday after Pentecost

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

In any dark space, lighting even one candle breaks the hold that night and darkness has over us and our lives. When we light a candle symbolizing the Spirit’s flame in the world, darkness is transformed into day, despair is changed into hope, and new life is discovered in barren places.

Call to Worship

One:   Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
All:      Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

One:   Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
All:      For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

One:   He loves righteousness and justice, the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
All:      By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.

One:   He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
All:      Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

One:   For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
All:      The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

One:   The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
All:      Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage

(from Psalm 33)

Hymn – “How Great Thou Art” (VU 238)

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the works Thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

But when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me how, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, “My God, how great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Prayer of Approach and Confession

God in whom we live and move and have our being: from sea to sea to sea we gather in prayer; from generation to generation, we sing;  on this anniversary we give thanks for your care, guidance, and correction.

In this heritage of trust we pray for this United Church and for faithful living on this land, Our Soul of Life, Living Word, and Bonding Love.

We confess we have, at times, lost our way and wandered in a desert of our own making, searching for food and water in barren places of our own design. Give us wisdom and courage to make better choices, to be renewed at the fountain of your Spirit, and plant seeds of abundance in the communities where we serve.

We pray these things in the name of Creator; Amen.

(adapted from a Union Day prayer by Catherine MacLean, 2008 © The United Church of Canada)

Response – “Spirit of Life” (VU 381)

Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea; move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close, wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.

Words of Assurance

Hymn – “Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary” (MV 18)

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Genesis 12:1-9

¹ Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot and all the possessions that they had gathered and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran, and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east, and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord. ⁹ And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negev.

Scripture Reading:           Matthew 9:9-13; 18-20

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

¹⁰ And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Meditation – “The Church that Time Forgot”

Anthem – “Shout to the Lord”

My Jesus, my Saviour, Lord, there is none like You;
All of my days I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love.
My Comfort, my Shelter, Tower of refuge and strength,
Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship You.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King!
Mountains bow down and the seas will road at the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand;
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!

Offering

Response – “What Can I Do?”

What can I do? What can I bring?
What can I say? What can I sing?
I’ll sing with joy. I’ll say a prayer.
I’ll bring my love. I’ll do my share.

The Response

Prayers of the People

Hymn – “Step by Step”

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will every praise You

I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You’ll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days.

Benediction

Response

May the grace of Christ attend us,
And the love of God surround us,
And the Holy Spirit keep us,
Now and every, always.
Amen, amen, forever and ever,
Amen.